


cherry jolly ranchers

by builtfromthesamedirt



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Candy, Character Study, Crushes, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Extended Metaphors, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Getting Together, Karl Jacobs-centric, Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Romantic Fluff, Soft Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Songfic, Sweet, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, a lil, as in we talk abt sapnap and cherries a lot, literally bc there is so much fkin candy in here, no beta we die like. idk we just die., your honor.... let them be Happy....
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:08:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29289615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/builtfromthesamedirt/pseuds/builtfromthesamedirt
Summary: karl hates sapnap's taste in candy. that is, until he learns to love the taste of cherry - and of the boy who likes it so much.[inspired by "strawberry mentos" by leanna firestone]
Relationships: Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 15
Kudos: 76





	cherry jolly ranchers

**Author's Note:**

> hello! hi! it has been quite the Hot Minute since i posted on here lmao new user tho so pog  
> i have joined the karlnap hype train and honestly Please give them more fluff content bc i Cannot take all of the time travel angst as good as it is i will cry  
> this is based on ["strawberry mentos" by leanna firestone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEFdYalGAA0)!!  
> happy valentine's day btw!!! <333 i am spending mine Down Bad lmao  
> also green apple jolly rancher supremacy im not sorry :)  
> reminder that this is a work of fiction and nothing else! don't repost or send to ccs! if this makes any mentioned ccs uncomfy it will be deleted!  
> if u enjoyed, feel free to leave kudos/comments! :)  
> edit: hi if ur here from froghaven's fic!! nice to meet u! big big love to them :D

“cherry? _really,_ dude?”

“yeah, duh. it’s obviously the superior jolly rancher.”

“sorry, that’s a really weird way to pronounce ‘green apple.’”

“ew, what? no, man. cherry’s _way_ better than green apple.”

he laughs at sapnap, mocks his taste in candy for the stream, but in reality, he’s scribbling it down in his brain’s notepad with a quiet thoughtfulness, the loops of his figurative writing laced with an adoration he hasn’t quite picked up on yet. he’s not even sure how they got onto this topic, but something in his chest flutters anyways.

cherry, he thinks, is a gross flavor. why would anyone ever like cherry?

♡♡♡

he asks himself the same question as he stares at the bag of jolly ranchers he’s picked up at some point. ever since sapnap mentioned it, his mind has been filled with thoughts about cherry jolly ranchers. he starts seeing it everywhere he goes, the bright red tones of cherry-flavored candies seeming to call his name. he tries to label it as disdain, but part of him knows it’s something else, something more akin to infatuation. 

he subconsciously shifts the bag around in his hands as if he’s weighing his options within it. flashes of red candy catch his eye as the pieces jostle around. he stops and thinks to himself for a second, eyes glued to a cluster of cherry jolly ranchers that pressed against the translucent part of the packaging, gathered there by chance.

he sighs and takes the bag, trying to convince himself that this wasn’t a purchase for himself. he’s not quite sure he’s convinced even as he’s placing them in a grocery bag and in the back of his car.

♡♡♡

he’s holding a cherry jolly rancher in his fingers. the plastic wrapper crinkles against his fingertips. he doesn’t like cherry, he reminds himself, but what’s the harm in trying it? if sapnap likes it so much, it surely can’t hurt. karl sighs, undoing the wrapper with shaky fingers. if anything, he has a more recent set of points to contest sapnap’s claim of this being the best flavor.

he pops it in his mouth and sucks on it.

so much of sapnap is cherry to him. sure, part of it had to do with the little bits of red that could be found within what he wore. a particular red hoodie he wore often comes to the forefront of his mind. it was always a little too big on him, the fabric draping off his arms in a way that always seems to tug on karl’s heartstrings, and on the rare occasion that one of his sleeves brushes against karl’s fingertips, the softness of the faded red fabric tends to transfer some of the color to both their cheeks. but a lot of his similarities to the cherry flavor he enjoyed so much was found within his personality. the sharp flavor reminds karl of his energetic personality: strong, confident, constantly moving.

his lips quirk a bit at the thought. karl was expecting that part of it. what he wasn’t expecting was the soft, sweet undertones of the candy. it’s reminiscent of when they first moved in together. they’d known each other for months beforehand from streaming together; however, karl was soon introduced to the softer sides of sapnap once they’d both settled in. groggy smiles framed by the steam rising from a cup of coffee in the morning, snuggling into his side on the couch as they watch a movie.

he can see why sapnap likes cherry so much. his mind hesitates before reminding himself that he doesn’t like the taste, muttering to himself about a fake proximity to cough syrup as he pops another one in his mouth. he supposes that sapnap is a little like cough syrup – he makes his stomach twist in knots but never fails to make him feel good. almost like…

he might like cherry a little more than he thought.

♡♡♡

he starts buying a bag of assorted jolly ranchers every time he goes to the store. a bowl is placed on their kitchen counter to put them in, as if karl is interested in any blue raspberry or grape. no, he’s hooked on cherry, he’ll admit. sapnap doesn’t bring it up beyond an acknowledgement of its presence and a question of why it was set out like they were expecting guests. karl laughs at that, and sapnap, with somewhat flushed cheeks that karl doesn’t quite pick up on, accepts it as an answer.

♡♡♡

the saccharine tartness of the cherry flavoring starts to grow on him. he finds himself sucking on cherry jolly ranchers throughout the day – as he edits, right before he streams, while he’s calling his other friends or his family. however, as much as he incorporates it as almost a mindless part of his daily routine, he can’t seem to bring himself to eat them in front of sapnap. maybe it’s because he feels ashamed for eating them, except for the fact that at this point, he really isn’t. he realizes that his feelings for sapnap stretch far beyond what normal, platonic roommates do. it’s probably why he’s so committed to these stupid jolly ranchers. the dye in the candy keeps his tongue – and to an extent, his lips – stained a bright red. some of his friends bring it up during a stream once, but he quickly dismisses it with a joke about their mothers’ lipsticks. sure, it reminds of kissing someone, but he’d much rather it be a certain brunette than anyone else.

speaking of, sapnap is sitting across from him in their kitchen, eyebrow quirked in amusement. karl hums in question, and sapnap snorts. “lost in thought over there, sweetheart?”

karl’s mind screeches to a halt, and he almost can’t manage a nod as his mind is reduced to a flustered mess. he supposed his cheeks are bright red, judging by how warm they feel. sapnap grins. “i was asking if you wanted to stream with people tonight. i’m not sure who yet but like… jackbox and the works.” karl agrees, praying that his cheeks decrease in warmth as soon as they can. “cool, i’ll message the server.” he gets up out of his chair, grabbing his dishes and putting them away to be washed later. sapnap turns to karl, his grin morphing into more of a mischievous smirk as he approaches him.

“cherry cheeks look good on you,” he says to him in a low voice. karl all but sputters. sapnap laughs as he walks back into his room.

he supposes he doesn’t need to taste the cherry of the jolly ranchers when sapnap is right there

♡♡♡

he doesn’t even realize that all of the green apple jolly ranchers were going missing just as quickly as the cherry ones, their wrappers accumulating in someone else’s trashcan beside their desk. he definitely doesn’t notice the slight green tint to his roommate’s lips either. he can’t even bring himself to want to think about green apple.

♡♡♡

he’s not quite sure how they got there. sapnap, eyelids heavy with a post-stream bout of exhaustion, suggests they watch a movie of some kind. he lets karl choose one of the first ones they see on the netflix homepage, not even bothering to read the description as he snuggles into karl’s side. karl’s a bit tired as well, his own stream ending a while before. he lazily grins at sapnap, curled up in that faded red hoodie of his against his side. his arm moves to curl around him and pull him closer, rubbing his forearm with his thumb.

his teeth have started dully aching, likely from the tension he realizes he’s holding in his jaw (and the amount of cherry jolly ranchers he’s eaten as of late. he swears there are times when he can taste it even when there’s nothing in his mouth.) he thinks idly to himself about the possibility of sapnap’s current state being the reason his teeth hurt and lets out a quiet chuckle.

sapnap must’ve felt it, because he shifts to sit up, locking eyes with karl. “what’s funny?” he mumbles, his mouth pulled in a lopsided grin. karl’s breath hitches, and he can tell he’s looking at sapnap’s mouth instead of his eyes. he looks up just in time to see brown eyes flick down to do the same.

and their lips meet.

“you…” sapnap giggles as he pulls away, the wide grin stretching across his face evidence of how overjoyed he is by this development. “you taste like…”

“cherries?”

“yeah… like the jolly ranchers.”

“mhm.”

sapnap amusedly raises an eyebrow. “i thought you hated cherry though?”

karl lets out a quiet laugh, daring to look into sapnap’s eyes, which shone with what could be described as pure affection. “i think i’ve grown to love it.”

he pulls him into another kiss. it’s just as soft as last time; however, this time there’s a new, strengthened feeling of unabashed affection behind it. karl can taste something new, bright, and tart on sapnap’s tongue this time as well – green apple, he realizes. the sweet notes of it have begun to mix with that of the cherry on his own, creating a blend that was so sweetly and uniquely them.

“cherry cheeks,” sapnap snickers into the kiss. karl finds himself laughing too.

cherry, he decides, isn’t that bad after all. in fact, it might be his new favorite flavor.


End file.
